1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to curling irons and, more particularly, to steam generating curling irons having detachable hair styling rollers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of curling irons having a plurality of detachable hair styling rollers with different diameters for producing curls of different sizes in a tress of hair is well known. In the prior art, a tress of hair is wound about the surface of a tubular roller thermally coupled to an electrically heated curling iron. The heat from the roller acts upon the hair to fix a curl. The size of the curl is controlled by using rollers or adaptor tubes of different diameters. However, the rollers were attached to the curling iron so that they were not easily rotatable about their longitudinal axis. An example of an electrically heated curling iron having a plurality of detachable hair styling rollers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,141, entitled "Electrically Heated Curling Iron With Means For Making Various-Sized Curls" issued to Frank Quinio et al on Dec. 13, 1966.
Steam generating curling irons have been used to supply a metered amount of moisture for plasticizing hair wound about a heated cylindrical tube to initially form a curl. The size of the curl is determined by the diameter of the heated cylindrical tube. Heat conducted by the cylindrical tube removes the supplied moisture from the hair to fix a curl. An example of an electrically heated curling iron arranged to dispense a metered quantity of steam for curling a tress of hair is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,292, entitled "Steam Curling Iron", issued to Henry J. Walter, et al, on Sept. 10, 1974.